Deepak Sahar was not included in this first ODI. He was said to have suffered a minor injury to his leg. In this case, he has been ruled out of the last two matches against South Africa citing the nature of the injury.
Who is the substitute??
One of the long-standing demands of the fans is the inclusion of D Natarajan as a replacement for Bumrah in the World Cup squad. Due to this, the fans were waiting for BCCI to include D Natarajan as a replacement for Deepak Sahar.
In this case, BCCI has announced that another Tamil Nadu player, Washington Sundar, will be included in the team.
Why the addition of Washington Sundar?
Washington Sundar has bowled brilliantly in county cricket recently. Also, he was in good form with the batting adding some runs. The venues for the next two ODIs between India and South Africa are predicted to be somewhat supportive of the spinners. This is why Sundar seems to have been included.
Sundar will play?
The team already has Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi Shabazz Ahmed. In this, Bishnoi conceded too many runs. Thus, Washington Sundar is expected to get a chance in the next two matches. Shabazz Ahmed is a left-arm spinner like Kuldeep Yadav. It is important to note that having two left-arm spinners in a team does not improve.
The last two ODIs between India and South Africa will be held on October 9th (tomorrow) and 11th at the Ranji and Delhi stadiums.